1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a body anteflexion measuring device and, more particularly, to a sitting-posture body anteflexion measuring device which can be easily and safely used by people of various ages for performing a body anteflexion without undue physical burden.
2. Description of Related Art
Typically, body anteflexion is performed to ascertain the flexibility of a human body as one item of physical fitness test associated, e.g., with the prevention of lumbago. The body anteflexion test is generally classified into two categories; i.e., a standing-posture body anteflexion test in which measurement is made in the standing posture of the subject, and a sitting-posture body anteflexion test in which measurement is made in the sitting posture of the subject with the knees unrestrained.
Conventional devices for measuring the body anteflexion are disclosed, for example, in a Japanese publication "Physical Fitness Science", No. 18, p. 121, Sep. 1996. Thus, there is known a standing-posture body anteflexion measuring device which includes a stand for placing both feet of the subject thereon, and a scale in combination with a cursor which can be engaged by the finger tips of the subject so that the cursor is moved by the finger tips in the standing posture of the subject and the movement distance of the cursor along the scale is read. There is also known a sitting-posture body anteflexion measuring device of movable cursor type, in which the fingers of both hands of the subject are brought into tight contact with each other in a sitting posture of the subject whose knees are unrestrained, and the cursor is moved by the finger tips along a predetermined path and the movement distance of the cursor from a reference point is read. This type of measuring device may include a handle which can be rotated for adjusting the height of the cursor, or a seat which can be moved horizontally in combination with the cursor of a fixed height.
It is a recent trend in various countries to adopt a sitting-posture body anteflexion test method. The procedure for performing a sitting-posture body anteflexion is essentially based upon traditional standing-posture body anteflexion included as one of the sports test items specified, for example, by Japanese Ministry of Education. Thus, the body anteflexion motion in a sitting-posture of the subject is performed with both legs being stretched or unrestrained. A procedure for the sitting-posture body anteflexion test has been proposed by Wells et al. in 1952, in which the body anteflexion motion is performed by using a measuring stand with a height of about 30 cm, and adopting a sitting posture on a floor so that the bottom faces of the feet are in contact with the vertical front surface of the stand. In this instance, the front edge of the stand is used as the measurement reference point (zero point) and measurement is made of the horizontal distance between the reference point and the position which is reached by the finger tips of both hands as a result of the maximum anteflexion motion and which can be maintained for about two seconds.
The traditional procedure for the sitting-posture body anteflexion test has been modified in order to minimize undesirable fluctuation due to the different leg length of the subjects, and the modified procedures are known as Werner's method (1992) or Minkler's method (1994). In such modified procedures, a sitting posture is first adopted, with the back of the subject kept in contact with a wall surface, and the upper limbs and the fingers stretched forward at the same height as that of the measuring stand. The position of the finger tips of both hands in such a sitting posture of the subject is taken as the measurement reference point. The body anteflexion is then performed to measure the horizontal distance between the reference point and the position which is reached by the finger tips of both hands as a result of the maximum anteflexion motion and which can be maintained for about two seconds.
With any of the above-mentioned conventional measuring methods, not only the posture of the subject is still unstable, but it is also difficult to achieve a satisfactory repeatability of the measurement. Moreover, by adopting the predetermined, rather unnatural posture of the subject during the measurement, the muscles and/or tendons on the back side of knees are unduly stretched thereby causing a physical pain.